The near-term BCS fortunes of the once-again fractured Mountain West is now in the hands of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.

The league’s board of directors on Monday approved the filing for an exemption for BCS status in 2012 and 2013. The move was expected and if approved, would result in the Mountain West gaining automatic BCS qualification status on a temporary basis in those two years.

The rule creating the possibility a seventh automatic qualifier was adopted in 2004, the year access was expanded to non-automatic qualifying conferences. Because it has achieved only a portion of the benchmarks for automatic qualification, the MWC is asking for an exemption.

Over the course of a four-year evaluation period that ended this season (2008-2011), the league finished in the top five of the 11 FBS leagues in average BCS ranking of its highest ranked team. The MWC finished in the top seven in average conference rank. It finished in the top 33 percent of average number of teams ranked in the final BCS standings.

For automatic qualification the MWC would have had to finish in the top six in the first two categories and top 50 percent in the third.

The exemption would have to be approved by nine of the 12 members of the oversight committee. That committee is made up of CEOs from the 11 current FBS conferences and Notre Dame. BCS executive director Bill Hancock would not speculate on which way the vote would go. He did add that the vote should come in the near future.

The league will rely heavily on the accomplishments of two schools leaving the league. Boise State is headed for the Big East in 2013 while TCU is going to the Big 12 next season. The league will be evaluated on based on the conference’s membership today. That means the MWC would get full credit for Boise’s accomplishments from 2008-2010 in the WAC. That includes a Fiesta Bowl win in 2010 as well as a 49-3 record the last four seasons.

TCU has competed in the MWC for the last four years going to two BCS bowls.

A seventh automatic qualifier for those two seasons would most likely mean the loss of an at-large berth that goes to one of the power conferences. For the fourth time in the last six years, there were eight automatic qualifiers for the 10 available spots. This season: The SEC finishing 1-2 in the BCS means both LSU and Alabama were automatic. Stanford was automatic because it didn’t win its conference but finished in the top four. The at-large teams were Michigan (Sugar) and Virginia Tech (Sugar).

There was an automatic qualifier from the non-AQ conferences each year from 2007-2010. Three of those were from the MWC – Utah in 2008 and TCU and 2009-2010.

There is additional hope for the MWC this time because of a waiver given to the Big East for automatic-qualifying status prior to the 2008 season. That waiver was approved by an 8-0 vote of the six power conferences (SEC, ACC, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten) and Notre Dame as well as one combined vote given to the five non-AQ leagues (MAC, WAC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, MWC). This time around all 11 FBS leagues plus Notre Dame have a vote for a total of 12.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott admitted for the first time during this latest round of conference upheaval that his league has been contacted by prospective members.

"I will say schools have reached out to us," Scott said Saturday shortly before the start of the LSU-Oregon game here. "We are not doing anything proactively."

Scott was speaking approximately 90 minutes after an Oklahoma source was quoted as saying the school's "sole focus" was moving to the Pac-12. The story broke Saturday in the The Oklahoman and stated that Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State could also be part of the move to the Pac-12.

The commissioner said he was not aware of the report but reiterated that, "schools have called us. We certainly are going to listen."

Cut through the language and it seems that the Big 12's days are numbered. Texas A&M is expected to be formally invited to the SEC next week. Oklahoma has been leaning toward the Pac-12. It's doubtful that the 15-year-old league could survive with the loss Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.

Events of the last 36 hours may have put college athletics at the brink of one of the most significant points in its history. Oklahoma president David Boren said Friday his school would not be a "wallflower" as it surveys conference membership. Boren added that Oklahoma's future could be clearer by as early as Monday. At no time during those comments did he pledge loyalty to the Big 12. A Pac-12 expansion to 16 teams could usher in the era of the super conference in college athletics.

The Pac-12 locking up Texas and Oklahoma, two of the most famous brands, in college sports would almost assure it. There already has been speculation that the combination of the new Pac-12 agreement ($3 billion, 12 years with ESPN/Fox) and the new Pac-12 Network could mean an annual $30 million to each member school.

Other conferences -- notably the SEC and Big Ten -- would almost have to react to the Pac-12's move.

"I've also been clear," Scott reminded, "that there will probably be further expansion at some stage."

The Pac-12 controls the option to reopen that lucrative contract for negotiations if membership changes, Scott said. He added that he and the Pac-12 won't be the guys who alter the current college conference structure.

"If there is any suggestion whatsoever that our conference is being predatory that's just wrong," he said. "We've not had expansion as an initiative, as an agenda, for us at all. If there were any conversations going on, you can be sure there are not any we initiated."

That's likely legalese for staying with the process. Three weeks ago SEC presidents met to discuss Texas A&M's move to the conference. They were reminded by lawyers during that meeting the conference could not appear to be pursuing the Aggies at the expense of collapsing the Big 12.

The then-Pac-10 was definitely proactive last year when it pursued six Big 12 schools last year in a bold attempt to move up to 16 teams in preparations for negotiating a new TV deal. It settled on Utah and Colorado to expand to 14. That deal is now in place.

The biggest complication seems to be folding Texas and its network into the Pac-12. Texas and ESPN have an exclusive $300 million deal with the Longhorn Network. Scott said any such deal would have to be folded into the Pac-12 distribution model. The Pac-12 Network consists of six regional networks.

Texas mostly likely would have to renegotiate its deal and possibly share money with Pac-12 members were it to join the Pac-12.

The Aggies former coach and regent said all the right things about staying in the Big 12. But in the same breath Stallings said that if things did break up he'd rather see the school join the SEC rather than the then-Pac-10. Don't forget that Stallings has extensive experience in the SEC as a national championship coach at Alabama.

The Aggies continue to lean eastward toward the SEC and away from the Big 12. It's a given that the school feels a certain independence and a desire to break away from Texas' influence. The recent rancor over the Longhorn Network was merely a symptom of that rancor. It still believes the SEC could be a long-term home because ...

--Stability. The SEC has it. The Big 12 doesn’t.

--Money is no object. The payouts in both conferences are essentially going to be equal when the Big 12 goes to market for its primary rights in a couple of years.

--Arkansas is a natural rival from the old Southwest Conference.

--If the SEC were to balance things out at 14 teams (for now), Missouri would be an obvious candidate. That would given the Aggies two travel partners in a league that would stretch from South Carolina to Houston.

As for the SEC, it would love to have recruiting access to Texas. Texas -- and the rest of the surviving Big 12 -- would then have to battle SEC schools coming into the Lone Star State for recruits.

Remember, if this happens it won't be portrayed as a predatory move by the SEC in any way. This will be A&M trying to get away from Texas and strike out on its own. Whether the SEC then chooses to go to 14 or 16 will be the next issue. You can bet the Big Ten and Pac-12 commissioners aren't going to sit on their hands and lose traction in the marketplace.

As far as those long-term deals signed by conferences? They can all be adjusted. I'm told they all include periodic "look-in" clauses that would allow for adjustment due to change in membership.

As crazy as the summer of 2010 was, it's hard to believe that the Big 12 might not make it to the 2011 kickoff with a solid 10 going forward.

Proving once again there are no offseasons ever in any sport, these bombs dropped during my vacation last week. Each one deserves a response from this space's department of justice ...
The Bomb: Pac-12 agrees to a 12-year, $3 billion deal with ESPN and Fox.
The Response: The first thing that came to mind: Larry Scott is gold. The commissioner was hired to drag the sleepy Pac-10 out of its past and rocket it toward a lucrative future. In less than two years, he delivered big time. As of right now, Scott can pretty much write his own ticket as a sports CEO. I'm talking about commissioner of baseball, the NFL, head of the U.S. Olympics, maybe even the next president of the NCAA. (More on that later in the week).

Scott delivered because these commissioner jobs have evolved into giant fundraising endeavors. Sure, every once in a while a commish has to suspend or fine someone but that's small stuff. The commissioners' mandate from the presidents they serve is to make as much money as possible for the schools. Mike Slive and Jim Delany, two powerful guys with powerful NCAA backgrounds, had been the best at it -- until now. In less than two years Scott reshaped and repackaged his conference in such a way that it became the most lucrative league television property in history. Remember, this is a guy who sees profit centers in China for UCLA gear.

The question now becomes what the Pac-12 schools do with their windfall. You can be sure that most of it won't be spent adding sports. There's a reason that only 10 or so schools out of 120 in I-A are turning a profit. The cash will go to the bottom line -- existing facilities, recruiting and coaching salaries. Adding non-revenue sports adds nothing to the bottom line.

In other words, the Pac-12 just became a player for the likes of Urban Meyer. I'm not saying Meyer will be hired in the Pac-12, I’m saying that the Pac-12 can now afford coaches of his stature. UCLA, not exactly Fort Knox when it comes to paying coaches, now has the ability, if it chooses, to pay Meyer if it fires Rick Neuheisel. The question is not whether it will, the reality is that it can make that call without getting hung up on.
The Bomb:The Department of Justice writes the NCAA and asks, "What's up?" about a playoff. The Response: First, I'm not even sure Justice sent the letter to the right person. Mark Emmert and the NCAA he oversees has minimal control over college football in general and almost none over postseason football. Emmert's answer should be short and to the point: The reason we don't have a playoff is because the membership doesn't want it.

Never mind that the NCAA technically isn't responsible, the commissioners seemingly have a way of diffusing any coming legal challenge.

"We never could have believed the regular season would have grown over the last 15 years like it has grown," said Delany, the Big Ten commissioner. "I think that's due, in part, to the BCS. We did what we set out to do, which is [stage] a 1-2 game, preserve the bowl system and grow the regular season ... We feel like we're on good [legal] ground. We never know about what a judge or jury could do, [but] we feel like we've got good representation."

I talked to noted anti-trust attorney Tom Rhodes about this issue last week. He isn't concerned for the BCS, calling the letter a political issue, not a legal issue, adding that assistant attorney general Christine Varney's interest is a "war dance" not a "war." Rhodes also intimates that Justice is a political animal that serves a president who made populist statements about a playoff while trying to get elected.

"It's important to understand what the letter does not say," Rhodes told me. "It doesn't say, 'You're in violation of the anti-trust laws.' ... Second thing is, if she [Varney] thought she had a case she wanted to bring she'd have brought it already. The third observation I would make is that the Department of Justice often has to be responsive to the political realities of the world. A political reality here is [Republican Utah Senator] Orrin Hatch is important to the administration.

Hatch has been a constant critic of the BCS but you wonder who his constituency is at this point. Utah is now in the BCS club. BYU, by its own choosing, went independent electing to join Navy and Army in having the worst BCS access in I-A. Those three schools will be considered if any finish in the top 14 of the BCS, but they are assured of a BCS berth only if they finish 1 or 2 in the final standings.

"People who are going to go to war usually don't spend a bunch of time jumping up and down with a war dance," Rhodes added. "This letter is consistent with the idea that Justice can do a war dance and if the BCS then makes a change, the [Obama] administration can claim, 'Look what we've done.' "

Next thing you know you're meeting the finance manager and making chit chat about how much you make a year. Having jaw surgery is more pleasant. Yep, something smells about the school now investigating 50 sales to determine whether players or relatives received price breaks (translation: extra benefits). My dad was a car salesman. Never once did he mention that cash-poor college kids were an untapped customer base.

So now the case goes to the Ohio State compliance department which is the collegiate equivalent of those used-car salesmen. This is the crack group that forgot to tell the Buckeye Five that selling their gear to a tattoo-parlor owner was against the rules. This is the sharp-minded department that decided to check Jim Tressel's computer after it was way too late. Yep, they're the ones you want searching for the truth with the program potentially eligible for the death penalty.

"I have nothing to believe a violation has occurred," Doug Archie, head of Ohio State compliance, told the Columbus Dispatch.

If this case has legs -- or rather, keys -- greasy car salesmen will be the least of Gene Smith's problems. Ohio State could be looking at lack of institutional control and a postseason ban, two penalties it has so-far dodged. But, damn, the Buckeyes will still have a badass set of wheels.

The Pac-12 will announce the largest television rights fees deal in college conference history on Wednesday CBSSports.com has learned.

Initial reports Tuesday that the league would announce a 12-year, $2.7 billion agreement with ESPN and Fox were low, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Instead, the new deal will make the Pac-12 No. 1 among all conferences in an age where rights fees are skyrocketing. The 12-year, $3 billion deal will be worth an average of more than $20 million per school each year over the course of the agreement. The final numbers could be staggering considering that the Pac-12 is going to announce a broadcast and cable deal only at this time. There is the digitial (phone/Internet) and network component still out there.

In the reports that surfaced Tuesday Pac-12 teams would average $18.75 million per year per school. That figure alone would double the current take of Pac-10 schools. The New York Times also reported the deal Tuesday morning.

How a sleepy league that was routinely No. 4 rights fees could shoot up to to No. 1 is explained here.

The announcement should mark the ultimate payoff for commissioner Larry Scott. The former CEO of the Women's Tennis Association has been on the job less than two years. Already he has shaken up not only his league but also college sports. He nearly succeeded last year in a raid of the Big 12 in expanding the Pac-10 from 10 to 16 teams. Falling short of that, the league invited Utah and Colorado and instituted a championship game beginning this year.

Scott already is on record intending to market the Pac-12 in Pacific Rim countries, including China.

NBC-Universal dropped out of the Pac-12 idding last week according to the Sports Business Journal. The conference will be part of a Saturday night primetime package on ESPN also according to SBJ.

The league has scheduled a Wednesday morning press conference at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, meaning Arizona State will be the "host" school of the largest TV deal in college history.

What I'll try to do here is explain why we are witnessing an unprecedented growth in right fees -- and subsequently college revenue. The growth outstrips even that of the nation's highest paying coaches. For example, if Nick Saban had enjoyed a raise parallel to the Big 12's windfall, his salary would have jumped from $4 million to near $16 million per year.

So why is this happening? One industry analyst summed it up this way: "There is a value to limiting uncertainty." Sports have become one of the safest and highest-grossing buys for media companies. There are no coked-up, petulant stars to deal with. Well, at least not a lot of them. The only "winning" is done on the field. Sports are somewhat cheap to produce. Sports are true reality television, almost immune to being DVRed. Advertisers love that. There is a built-in following whose interest doesn't wane with time. Even the strongest TV series are cancelled. Try taking Alabama-Auburn off the air.

Since the advent of TV, sports have become the foundation of the medium -- largely immune to viewer trends or changing mores. College sports, in the last 25 years, have taken it to a new level.

"I think we're all making a bet on the future where we believe that college sports and sports in general is one of the leading lights generating large audiences," said Randy Freer, Fox Sports Networks president.

The biggest reason for these increases is competition. Simple supply and demand. There aren't many college sports properties available in coming years. Until 2013, it's basically the Pac-12 and NHL rights that are going to be available on the market. Newbies such as NBCUniversal and Turner are showing a willingness to get into sports in a big way.

That's why the Big 12 hit it big on Wednesday. That's why the Pac-12 could hit it even bigger next year (See below).

The SEC and Big Ten have set the bar, for now. Those conferences' schools each earn approximately $22 million per year, give or take. The SEC finalized a 15-year, $3 billion deal with ESPN and CBS a couple of years ago. The Big Ten is in the middle of a 20-year deal, partnering with News Corp. (parent of Fox) to produce the Big Ten Network in a deal that could be worth $2.8 billion. That's without mentioning the Big Ten's primary deal with ABC/ESPN. Seeing what the Big Ten had done with its network, ESPN moved to get the SEC using its multiple platforms as the equivalent to a "network."

CBS has the SEC's over-the-air rights.

The Big Ten and SEC have the most rabid following and/or are in the biggest markets. But in the last year, even the ACC doubled its annual rights fees to $155 million per year in a new deal with ESPN for the next 12 years. Because the ACC has become a diminished league in both main sports (football and basketball) since expansion, there was natural wonder why ESPN would pony up so much cash. It is essentially paying for Florida State and Miami on the come -- both have slumped since expansion -- and a couple of North Carolina-Duke basketball games every season.

Once again: supply and demand. Fox finished a close second and had all that money available for the Big 12.

The league got a 350 percent increase for its secondary rights with Fox (an average of $90 million annually). That's after losing Nebraska and Colorado in last year's conference realignment.

This is where it gets complicated. Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was the wild card almost convincing Texas and five other Big 12 schools to join his league last year. When it became clear that Scott was serious, Fox and ESPN stepped in to make financial promises. Fox delivered what you saw happen this week, but at the time that's all it was -- a promise. ESPN did not alter its existing contract, despite the loss of the two schools, as a show of good faith.

In the end, Fox and ESPN had to make those promises. Neither could afford for the Big 12 to go away. That would have eliminated one BCS conference that accounts for 16 percent of the households in the middle of the country. With the Pac-10 going out to bid on its latest rights fees -- which it officially did on April 1 -- there was a chance that both ESPN and Fox would have been shut out of two BCS leagues.

That's a lot inventory (games) and advertising that would have disappeared into the ether. Desperation had literally set in. Cable giant Comcast, which recently bought NBC, was taking over the Rockets and Astros telecasts in Houston. Fox had to have a presence in Texas. Houston is the largest market in the state and a top five or six market in the country.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe got a lot of credit this week for "saving" the Big 12 that almost fallen apart 10 months ago. What's more likely is that Beebe happened to be the man in charge when these market forces collided. He gets credit for guiding the ship through choppy waters, but the ship was going to sail on after Texas re-committed to the Big 12 no matter who was in charge.

In short: Texas knew how the episode was going to end before it started. Yes, the school is that flush with cash, power and influence. It came through a rocky period with more money, a leaner, meaner conference and its own network (Longhorn Network).

"Obviously, Fox decided [they'd] rather have a piece of both these leagues than leave one die," said an industry analyst.

The latest round of conference realignment proved that it's less about what league you're in and more about who's your television partner. Utah happened to be in the right place and the right time when Scott's power play failed. It then received a life-changing invite from the Pac-10. The Big East was suddenly willing to fly halfway across the country to invite TCU. Its teams begin flying halfway across the country to play games against the Horned Frogs in 2012.

Did Fox overpay for the Big 12? It's likely. But it wouldn't be the first time for a rightsholder. Part of eliminating that uncertainty sometimes is paying more for something than it is worth. The length of the deals keeps leagues out of the market for long periods of time. And what most analyses haven't included is that virtually all these deals are backloaded. While Big 12 schools will receive an average of $9 million per year from Fox, a large portion of that money will be owed toward the end of the 13-year deal.

That's the reason you saw CBS have to reach out to Turner to share the rights for the NCAA tournament beginning this year. Industry sources have indicated that the back end of the deal was getting too expensive.

League rights fees are unique in that there are only a finite number of big-time conferences/leagues out there. The Big 12 deal was no doubt helped by the fact that the only other major conferences opening up in upcoming years are the Pac-12 (2012) and Big East (2013). There is already speculation that the Pac-12 may meet or surpass SEC/Big Ten numbers. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the league is seeking $220 million per year for its new deal. That's $18.3 million per year per school for you non-math majors.

Colorado and Utah brought little value to the Pac-10 in the big picture. But expanding allowed the league to stage a conference championship game beginning this season. Fox paid $25 million in a one-year deal to telecast the first Pac-12 title game in 2011. That's $2.5 million per team that the conference never had. Scott also is reportedly determined to launch a conference network along the lines of the Big Ten. That would be more found money for the once-sleepy league. NBCUniversal, Fox and either ESPN or Turner (perhaps both) are said to be interested.

All this further explains what happened to the Big 12 and what is about to happen to the Pac-12. Texas and California are still among the most valued television markets. The two leagues combined have Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. That starts to explain why the leagues almost go together.

Other explanations:

College sports are undervalued: Delany began realizing that fact in the last decade. Even though ESPN was featuring his league, he felt there was more potential. The Big Ten has a large, passionate fan base (25 percent of the U.S. population). After a long, expensive fight, the Big Ten Network gained a foothold with cables systems. Salesmen literally had to go to from cable company to cable company to sell something that had never been tried before.

"We were on ESPN for 10 years but they weren't being very aggressive with us," Delany said more than a year ago when it was becoming evident that the BTN was turning the corner.

Now network has become must-see viewing for those rabid Big Ten fans find who find the league's second- and third-level football and basketball games. Its original programming is slick and engaging. Now the Big 12 and Pac-12 want to follow in Delany's network footsteps.

Pay TV is blowing up: Those high cable bills you pay? Thank what are called "sub fees" -- subscription fees for cable networks. ESPN is at the top of the heap getting approximately $5 per subscriber per month. By comparison, The Big Ten Network, outside of its natural footprint, reportedly gets a dime per subscriber.

Any kind of programming that increases those sub fees is attractive to a network. In the new deal, Fox is dumping a lot of Big 12 content on FX. The network has been the home of several successful drama series, but sports are seen as a way to make it more valuable. Let's say FX gets 15 cents per month in sub fees. Let's also say that the addition of Big 12 sports bumps that fee up to 22 cents. That's seven cents X 100 million FX households which equals $7 million per month. Multiply that by 12 months and you've got an extra $84 million per year on FX alone.

Cable operators are willing to charge it because viewers demand it. That's why niche networks like the Golf Channel, Comedy Central and Nat Geo are successful. Cable TV is able to reach specific audiences -- and their money.

Televised sports are a leader in technology: Sports have pushed along the development of both cell phone technology as well as HD and 3D.

A friend was getting a game on his phone recently. He was driving so he couldn't watch it, but he turned up the telecast so he could hear it. Without new technology that wouldn't be possible.

The next wave is Internet TV. Delany saw that wave coming approximately 13 years ago. That's a big reason he wanted to create the Big Ten Network. So-called "convergence" technology will allow us to watch from our computers, our phones, our IPads as well as enhanced televisions. Imagine having a spreadsheet for work open in one corner of your TV and the NCAA tournament in other portion of the screen.

Some of this is already hitting the market -- MLB.TV, ESPN3, March Madness On Demand. It's coming and we're all going to want it. That's how conferences will make and their rights holders will pay even more money.

The Big 12 is expected to announce a deal with Fox this afternoon for the reconstituted league's secondary television rights. The league has scheduled a 4 pm ET conference call with commissioner Dan Beebe.

The 13-to-15-year deal is expected to approach $90 million annually. It would be worth more than $1 billion in total. ESPN/ABC still hold primary basketball and football rights through 2015-16.

The latest announcement is the upshot of Texas keeping the league together last summer after turning down an offer to join the Pac-10. The new number is expected to a be 350 percent increase in the current rights fees paid by Fox despite the loss of Nebraska and Colorado.

Texas turned down the Pac-10 offer after Fox and ESPN, according to reports, promised rights fees that in the end could be worth $20 million per school per year. Fox reportedly promised a significant increase while ESPN said it would continue its current payouts to the Big 12 despite the loss of Nebraska and Colorado.

The average fan might wonder where the money is coming from. Ultimately, it will come from them in their cable bill. Sports is seen as the ultimate reality show. Because results are immediately available, sports are unlikely to be DVRed which is attractive to advertisers. The ACC doubled its takes in its latest deal with ESPN. Fox finished a close second in that deal. The money left over may be going to the Big 12. There are reports that the new Pac 12 deal may approach the annual take of the SEC and Big Ten. Each of those schools receive a reported $22.2 million per year in rights fees.

The Big 12 broadcast "footprint" represents approximately 16 percent of the nation's TV households. It was worth it for ESPN and Fox to keep the league alive. The alternative could have meant the loss to two BCS leagues for both networks. The Big 12 would have ceased to exist while the new Pac 12 is, as speculated, going out for bid on the open market.

Gil Brandt loves to analyze the draft. At times, Gil Brandt is the draft. The former vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys (1960-89) was responsible for evaluating and drafting several hall of famers in his career.

For the last eight years he has been a draft expert and personnel guru for NFL.com. For the purposes of Tuesday's ACC story, he shared with us some exclusive statistics regarding the conference's strength in NFL war rooms. Since 2000, the ACC is second only to the SEC in total number of players drafted. Highlighting that is a stat Brandt calls a "value index". He assigns a number for each player drafted. For example ...

Schools get 10 points for each player drafted in the top 10; 11 through 30, eight points; 31-60, six points; 61-100, four points; 101-150, two points; 150-plus, one point. Here is the ACC's individual players drafted and value index from 2001-2010 ...

--Twenty-two schools produced more than half (50.7 percent) of the top 100 picks. The ACC finished first (Miami), fourth (Florida State), 15th (Virginia Tech) and 17th (Maryland).

What does all this mean? The three newest ACC members (Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech) haven't added much in terms in pro talent compared to their previous accomplishments. A large portion of Miami's numbers above came before it joined the ACC in 2004. From 2005 through 2010, Miami has averaged 4.5 draftees per year and has only six first-rounders (none since 2008). From 1999-2004, Miami averaged 7.18 draftees and had a staggering 21 first-rounders. Boston College post-expansion: 1.83 draftees per year; pre-expansion, 2.33. Virginia Tech, has seen its NFL production increase only slightly since joining the league -- 29 drafted from 2005-2010, 25 drafted from 1999-2004.

--Another strange stat courtesy of the ACC. Through 2010, the conference leads the NFL in linebackers (including those on injured reserve, practice squads and physically unable to perform lists.)